How a Drug and Alcohol Abuse Counselor Can Help

Seeking a drug and alcohol abuse counselor is a great first step to retaining one’s sobriety, but people must remember that the counselor has limitations. These limitations are their clients’ desires to stay sober. If the client is not committed to remaining drug and alcohol-free, the drug and alcohol abuse counselor will not be able to prevent a relapse.

How a Substance Abuse Counselor Helps the Addicted

Those who are continuing to read this article have decided that they do want to remain on the path toward a sober life without drugs and alcohol, and they are ready to learn how a drug and alcohol abuse counselor can help.

When they meet with their counselors for the first time, they will be required to be completely honest with them. If they lie to their counselors, it will be impossible for the counselor to develop a treatment plan that can be effective.

Identifying the Triggers in Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy

In the example of a counselor who will employ cognitive-behavioral therapy, those addicted to drugs and alcohol will examine the thoughts they have and the feelings they experience before they are motivated to abuse substances. These thoughts and feelings are their “triggers”, and a counselor’s job is to help his or her client to identify these triggers when they occur before they have a chance to resort to taking drugs or drinking alcohol.

Once the triggers have been identified, the counselors’ focus will shift toward helping their clients refrain from indulging in these self-destructive thoughts. Throughout the course of their therapy sessions, those addicted to drugs and alcohol learn more positive reactions to these triggers than resorting to taking drugs and drinking alcohol. If it is possible to do so, counselors help their clients learn to avoid their triggers.

Other Forms of Counseling

Cognitive-behavioral therapy has had great success in treating those addicted to drugs and alcohol. It’s a popular form of therapy because it is meant to be short-term and is, therefore, a less costly solution to drug and alcohol addiction. However, some people may find that they will need more help than they receive from cognitive-behavioral therapy. These people have the option of entering into other types of therapy, including the following:

• Family Therapy
• Group Therapy
• Motivational Treatment

Where Can People Receive Therapy?

One place where people can receive therapy from various types of counselors is in a drug and alcohol rehabilitation center. After they complete the detoxification process, these patients are ready to enter into counseling.

Generally, people attend individual counseling sessions where they meet one-on-one with their counselors. They also meet with the other patients in group therapy. Those who require family therapy can receive it in this environment as well.

After people leave the rehabilitation center, they can continue to receive the therapy that has helped them, and they can do this by entering an aftercare program. Whether they begin in a rehab center or they seek a counselor on their own, those addicted to drugs and alcohol have several affordable options to help them remain sober.